How to disable or enable Activation Lock on your Apple Watch

No one wants their gear stolen or to mysteriously disappear, but it's important to be prepared if it happens. After all, it's not just about your hardware — the data on your iPhone or Apple Watch is just as precious (if not more important) to protect.

Thankfully, Apple has built in a number of tools to keep your iPhone and Apple Watch from falling into nefarious hands. Find My iPhone offers geolocation services for all of Apple's devices as well as remote wiping capabilities. The service also sports Activation Lock for Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch models, which prevents potential thieves from wiping your phone and trying to resell it.

What is Activation Lock?

As mentioned above, Activation Lock is a part of Apple's Find My iPhone service. It locks the device in question to your Apple ID; if someone tries to restore that device without first disconnecting it from your Apple ID, they'll be unable to do anything with it — it becomes a dead brick, essentially.

Does my Apple Watch have Activation Lock enabled?

If you're running watchOS 2 or later on your Apple Watch, Activation Lock automatically enables when you set up your device; you can check it by going to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone or via iCloud.com.

How to check if Activation Lock is enabled on your iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

Tap on the My Watch tab.

Tap on the icon for your Apple Watch.

Select the info button to the right of your Apple Watch.

Tap the Find My Apple Watch button to open the Find My iPhone app.
If you can view your Apple Watch in the Find My iPhone app, Activation Lock is enabled.

How do I check if Activation Lock is enabled if I don't have my iPhone?

Even if you don't have your watch's iPhone handy, you can check its status via iCloud.com.

Go to icloud.com.

Log in with your Apple ID.

Click on the Find iPhone icon.

Select the All Devices dropdown from the top center of the screen.

Find your Apple Watch.

If your Apple Watch is available in this list, Activation Lock is enabled.

How do I turn on Activation Lock if I don't have it enabled?

If your Apple Watch isn't present in the Find my iPhone app or shows as offline, there are a couple of potential reasons to check.

How to add your Apple ID to your Apple Watch

If you're not seeing your Apple Watch synced with your iCloud account, you may need to re-pair it. This will reassociate your Watch with your iCloud account and update your software, but it does require a bit of work on your part.

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Serenity Caldwell

Serenity is the Managing Editor at iMore. She's been talking, writing about, and tinkering with Apple products since she was old enough to double-click. In her spare time, she sketches, sings, and in her secret superhero life, plays roller derby. Follow her on Twitter @settern.